Mop clamp with lockable spring bar



p 18, 1951 T. J. CAMPBELL 2,568,218

MOP CLAMP WITH LOCKABLE spams BAR Filed Aug. 5, 1947 IN V EN TOR. THOMAS J. CAMPBELL ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 18, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOP CLAMP WITH LOCKABLE SPRING MR Thomas J. Campbell, San Francisco, Calif.

Application August 5, 1947, Serial No. 766,163

This invention relates to clamps for mop handles and more particularly relates to such clamping means which permit the mop to be readily inserted and removed Or replaced,'yet securely grips and holds the mop body in place during mopping operations and permits convenient wringing thereof.

Mop clamps heretofore known have had numerous disadvantages depending upon the type of mop employed. Some mops have been permanently mounted by wrapping and binding a mop body permanently around an end of a mop handle, a disadvantage of which is that the mop may not be readily removed and replaced when worn out, nor may it be readily and easily laundered or sterilized.

Another known type of mop clamp which is utilized at an end of a mop handle comprises a clamping member consistingof a rigid wire member forming three sides of a rectangle which is operable by a locking lever to and from a clamp seat in a direction axial to the mop handle. This type has the disadvantage that the clamping wire in combination with the seat against which it looks from a closed rectangle when the clamping wire is advanced to an open position by. release of the locking lever, and the mop body must be inserted or removed through theframe of the closed rectangle, which operation is very inconvenient especially with a limp wet mop body which most frequently consists of a plurality of strands of twisted cord usually formed of a pair of relatively overlaying fiat layers folded at a longi- .tudinal central portion, the strands of which are maintained relatively spread transversely of the mop body by sewing or otherwise binding them.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a mop clamp which opens at one of its ends and into which a mop body may be inserted, or from which a mopbody may be removed, by sliding the mop body through said opening.

A further object is to provide a mop clamp having a clamping bar inherently spring-tensioned an holding a locking lever in securely locked posi- A further object is to provide a gripping means for engaging into the strands of a mounted mop body for securely holding the mop body against slippage when the clamping means is locked upon the mop body.

A further object is to provide a lockable mop clamp in which the portion of the mop body lockingly engaged by the clamp is backed by eX- tended flanges to give a substantial backing to 2 Claims. (Cl.- --150) the limp body during a shoving movement of the mop.

Among other objects of the invention is to provide a clamp for mops which is simple in construction, efiicient in operation, economical to manufacture, and to improve generally upon mop clamp devices.

With the foregoing and other objects in view. one form in which the invention may be embodied is set forth in the following specification of parts, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, it being understood that changes in form, size, de-

gree, and minor details may be made by substitution of equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational View of the invention, showing in dotted lines various operational positions of the clamping bar.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the device of Fig. 1, portions of a front plate being removed to show detail of structure.

Referring to the drawing in which like reference characters indicate similar parts in the several views, I indicates the usual stick or mop handle. The clamp member is generally indicated 2, and includes a socket 3 at one end and a mop engaging means at the opposite end. The socket may be mounted to the handle by any suitable means such as the usual threading, or as shown herein by bolt and nut 4. The socket in the present exemplification consists of a pair of opposed formed sheet members which by suitable concavo-convex forming cooperate to provide an elongated socket which is open at one end to receive an end of the handle. At the opposite end of the socket the walls of the opposed sheet members are formed inwardly upon themselves to the normal plane of the sheet to provide a substantially closed end for the socket. At the closed end of the socket each of the opposed sheet members are widened laterally in opposite directions, the opposed sheet members thus providing elongated body of opposed wing .plates 5, each of which, at the longitudinal free edge portion opposite the socket, terminates in an integral outwardly bent flange 6, the flanges of the opposed plates being oppositely or divergedly inclined at substantially 45 degrees to the plane of the wing plates. The flanges 6 are of lesser length than thelongitudinal dimension of the wing plates 5 thereby providing tapered tongue-like relatively narrow planar end portions 1 and 8 at the opposite ends of the wing plates.

The opposed wing plate members are relatively spaced by a longitudinally disposed toothed plate 9 which has teeth I longitudinally spaced thereon within the zone of flanges 6. The opposed wing plates 5, and the intervening spacer toothed plate 9 are fixedly secured in overlying face to face relation by rivets I I, the flanges I5 thus providing a longitudinal groove I2 into which the teeth I!) protrude. It will be noted that the toothed plate 9 is of lesser length than the longitudinal dimensions of the wing plates 5, and thus does not extend between the opposed races of the wing plates at the end portions 7 and 8.

In the space between the wing plates at the end portion 8 is mounted one end of a leg l3a of an integral clamping bar of inherently springy metal, generally indicated I3, the mounting of said end affording pivotal movement of the bar by an eyelet encircling a pivot rivet I l mounted through both wing plates. The clamping bar has at its opposite end a le I3b which at its terminal end is provided with an open looped stirrup I5, the loop being of suificient size to freely encircle the end I. Integrally connecting between said legs is a longitudinal bar portion I30, which, when in locked position, overlies and substantially parallels the bottom of groove I2, the legs of the clamping bar being bent at substantially 90 to the longitudinal portion I30 and of suflicient length to space the longitudinal portion from groove I2 for receiving and holding a mop body therebetween. The longitudinal bar portion has centrally thereof integral indented gripping points It which are olTset relative tothe teeth III of plate 9 when the clamping bar is in operative clamping position, as shown in full line in Fig. 1.

The opposite endportion 1 of the opposingly spaced wing plates 5 are connected by pivot fulcrum rivet H, the plates 5 being spaced at said end by the thickness of the tooth plate 9. Between the opposed faces of plates 5 at the end portion I there is mounted a lever I8 having a head 20 provided with a hole therein adjacent its head end, through which the rivet I! passes and on which the lever is rotatably or pivotally mounted, so that the rivet forms a fulcrum upon which the lever pivots. The lever is provided with a handle portion 2| which is of a thickness so that one edge portion may slide into the spacing between the wing plates 5 at the lower edge of one wing, as shown in dotted lines at 22 of Fig. 1, the opposite edge portion of the lever having a hook-forming notch 23 therein adjacent the head, the notch being spaced toward the handle portion from the vertical transverse plane F-F' of the fulcrum rivet I7 when the lever is in locked position. The lever I8 may be moved on the fulcrum rivet I! from the locked position shown in full lines of Fig. 1 to the unlocked position shown in broken lines in Fig. 1.

The positioning of the lever hook-notch 23 is such that when the lever is in the unlocked released position shown in dotted lines of Fig. 1, the opening of the notch will be in proper position to freely receive the cross-bar I5a of stirrup I5, as shown in one position indicated I311 by dotted lines in Fig. 1, at which position the spring tension of the clamping bar is released. The other position of the clampin bar, as indicated by broken lines I3e in Fig. 1 indicates a further opening of the clamping bar whereby a mop body 24 may be slid betweenthe clamping bar and the groove l2 and the teeth ll) therein, or may be removed therefrom.

When the cross bar I5a of the looped stirrup is received and loosely engaged in the hook-notch 23 at released position I 3d, the spring tension of the clamping bar being then released, the lever I8 may be moved on the fulcrum pivot I! from the such unlocked position to the locked position shown in full lines of Fig. 1, during which movement the terminal cross-bar I5 a of the looped stirrup first moves outwardly relative to the end I in the arc defined by the broken line A, the inherent spring tension of the clamping bar I3 resisting the movement of the lever until the stirrup passes the transverse vertical plane F-F of the fulcrum rivet I1, whereupon, havin passed the center of tension, the spring tension of the clamping bar snaps the lever to seated locked position with the notch 23 and stirrup cross-bar I5a offset inwardly relative to the transverse vertical plane F-F of the fulcrum rivet I'I, whereby the cross-bar I5a bears under tension upon the lower edge of the tapered end portion 1 of plates 5, the opening of stirrup I2 encircling the tapered planar end I of the wing plates.

When so seated the handle portion of the lever partly slides between the lower edge portions of spaced plates 5 and partly extends beyond the edges of said plates so that the lever handle may be readily grasped for manual manipulation. The depth of notch 23 is preferably vsuch that when the stirrup of the clamping bar and the lever are in locked position the inner face of the stirrup cross-bar I5a and the bottom or valley of the notch, and the abutted portion of the edge of the wing plates are substantially coincident, and are so held by the unexhausted spring tension of the clamping bar. e

From the drawing and the foregoing description, it is believed that the mode of operation is self-explanatory. To insert a mop member 24 of any suitable type, the lever is released and the clamping bar raised on pivot I 4 to a freeposition indicated I3e which permits the central portion of the mop body to be inserted between the clampingbar and groove I2. Then the clamping bar is lowered upon the mop body until the crossbar I511 of the stirrup is engaged in the notch of the lever at released position, whereupon the lever is manually manipulatd on its fulcrum pivot I7, and against the inherent spring tension of the clamping bar, so that the stirrup and its crossbar swing through the are A, and mounts the opening of the stirrup in encircling relation around the tapered end I of the wing plates,.the lever and stirrup being urged by the spring terision to the locked seat when the stirrup passes over the fulcrum center F-F of the pivot I]. The gripped portion of the mop is thus locked between the clamping bar and groove I2, the teeth I0 and gripping points I6 biting into the mop body and thereby holding it securely. .To release or change a mop the lever is manipulated oppositely to the mode of operation last described.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and patentable is:

1. An apparatus of the character described com= prising an elongated body having opposed longitudinal diverging flanges providing a longitudinal groove at one edge portion of said body, a plurality of longitudinally spaced teeth in said groove, an inherently spring tensioned clamping bar having an end leg pivotally mounted at one end of the elongated body and adapted selectively to swing toward and away from said body, the opposite end of the clamping bar having a leg terminating in a looped stirrup adapted for encircling the opposite end of the body, and lever means pivotally fulcrumed at said last mentioned end of the elongated body and having means for engaging the stirrup, said stirrup engaging means, when in locked position, being offset inwardly from the transverse vertical plane of the lever fulcrum pivot, whereby the stirrup end of the clamping bar may be moved arcuately relatively to said last mentioned end of the elongated body and selectively between a free position and a locked position at the adjacent end portion of the said body.

2. A mop clamp apparatus of the character described including an elongated body havin a pair of opposed spaced plates fixedly secured together and having opposed divr'rgingly inclined flanges providing a longitudinal groove at one edge portion of said body, spacer means between. said plates having a plurality of longitudinally spaced teeth in said groove, an inherently sprin tensioned clamping bar having at one end a le pivotally mounted at one end portion of the elongated body and adapted selectively to swing toward and away from said groove, the opposite end of the clamping bar having a leg terminating in a looped stirrup, a lever pivotally fulcrumed between said spaced plates adjacent the opposite end of the elongated body, said lever having means for engaging the stirrup, whereby, upon selective movement of the lever, the stirrup may be arcuately moved against the inherent spring tension of the clamping bar around the adjacent end of the elongated body between a free position and a locked postion, said stirrup-engaging means, when in locked position, being offset inwardly from the transverse vertical plane of the lever fulcrum pivot.

THOMAS J. CAMPBELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of-this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 696,759 Schmidt Apr. 1, 1902 1,056,963 Wing Mar. 25, 1913 1,376,175 Sundermann Apr. 26, 1921 1,438,644 Hill Dec. 12, 1922 1,635,973 Hill July 12, 1927 1,712,878 Erickson May 14, 1929 2,137,317 Weloh Nov. 22, 1938 

